Top Major League Baseball Athletic Trainer Sees Merit in Little League’s Pitch Count

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. (Nov. 22, 2006) – Jamie Reed, head athletic trainer
for Major League Baseball’s Texas Rangers and president of the
Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS), believes
Little League International’s decision to implement a pitch count
has been a long time coming.

“It is definitely a step in the right direction,” Mr. Reed, who has
worked with professional baseball players for 25 years, said. “Major
League Baseball has worked off of a pitch count for a long time, and
I think Little League’s pitch count certainly will protect young
arms.”

Mr. Reed stated that Little League-age players are skeletally
immature and typically should only be throwing an average number of
pitches four times their age. His example is a league-age
12-year-old should only be throwing 48 pitches per day. By
comparison, he said, “the 100-pitch mark is when the yellow light
starts flashing on a Major Leaguer.”

He agrees that use of a pitch count will prompt Little League
coaches to seek out more pitching. The success of the rule in his
opinion hinges on the managers and coaches teaching proper
techniques.

“Over the course of the regular season and into tournament play is
when you will see the benefits of counting a player’s pitches, “Mr.
Reed said. “By keeping pitch numbers down in April and May, these
players will be better pitchers in June and July.”

Often, the first question that Mr. Reed fields as he talks to
volunteer coaches and managers is: How do you determine who has the
potential to be a pitcher?

He explains the simplest way to evaluate raw potential is to simply
have a player long toss. After the player has properly warmed up,
Mr. Reed said, “the farther he can throw the ball, the better
natural mechanics and arm strength he has.”

When it comes time to teach pitching technique and mechanics, Mr.
Reed said to stay away from breaking pitches.

“The hardest pitchers to hit are those who can spot a fastball and
change-up,” Mr. Reed said. “The Little Leaguers who throw sliders
and curveballs are not the pitchers I’ll see at the Major League
level.”

During the season, managers are always faced with the decision of
when to remove a pitcher. Mr. Reed said the tell-tale signs a
pitcher has “lost it,” are the drop in velocity and accuracy.

“When the control goes, then velocity goes, and that tells you the
pitcher is starting to fatigue,” Mr. Reed said. Kids should not be
sore. If they are then they’re either mechanically unsound, or more
likely they are being overworked.”

Offering some general health tips, Mr. Reed focused on diversity in
sports as the best way to keep a player’s body injury-free. As a
professional athletic trainer, he can say from experience that the
healthier pitcher is one who has developed cardiovascular and core
strength, which helps take a load off the arm.

“Those of us in pro baseball want to see multi-sport kids,” Mr. Reed
said. “These athletes have developed full-body stability because of
the emphasis that different sports place on different muscle groups.

“Pro scouts are looking for kids who start pitching as juniors and
seniors in high school, or even as late as their freshman year in
college,” Mr. Reed said. “The reason why is, kids who started
pitching at 11- or 12-years-old use up their arms. There are only so
many times you can stretch a rubber band.”

Mr. Reed is not against off-season workouts (core, strength, cardio)
as long as it does not involve a baseball. It is his contention that
every time a player picks up the baseball it is continuing the cycle
of overuse.

During the season, he recommends a pitcher focus on stretching the
throwing shoulder and elbow on recovery days following a start. The
day before a start, he or she should work at 50 percent of maximum
effort and concentrate on proper mechanics.

Mr. Reed, a Major League Baseball trainer for 10 years with the
Rangers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays, has been PBATS president for five
years. A total of 65 Major League Baseball athletic trainers and 225
minor league athletic trainers are PBATS members.

More information on the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers
Society can be found here:
http://www.pbats.com/